Brill Parish Council Newsletter

July 2023 (vol 3, issue 7)

Community Life-Saving Training

The equipment funded by Haddenham & Waddesdon Community Board has arrived and training is well underway. Please choose one of the dates below and book on the Brill Parish Council & Community website. All sessions will be 11am - 12 noon in Brill Sports & Social Club. We will be following the British Heart Foundation’s community training programme, which uses virtual (DVD) trainers.

We've set a ridiculously ambitious target to train 30% of the adults and young people of Brill; is this even possible?!

• Saturday July 15th (be quick!)

• Saturday August 19th

• Saturday September 16th

• Saturday October 21st

• Saturday November 18th

Any questions - or if you'd like a bespoke session for your team or group, please email Hannah.

Healthy Ageing in Bucks : Have your say

Bucks Council is creating a Healthy Ageing Strategy for Buckinghamshire. This will set out key priorities to help people live healthy, happy lives for longer. It will include support for individuals, and improvements in the environment, built infrastructure and social and community networks.

This survey is your chance to shape that strategy. Complete the online survey or pick up a paper copy from the parish council office or the church. The survey is open to all residents over the age of 40. Note that it closes July 17th.

It’s really important that communities and individuals take every opportunity to have input into Bucks Council strategy that will impact our lives - so please take 10 minutes to do this survey.

A plea from Natalya Koval,
one of our Ukrainian guests

Hello everyone

We are a Ukrainian family looking to find a new home. We moved from our native city of Chernihiv to Brill in June 2022 and we have accommodation just outside Brill until July 17th, 2023. 

Today, our family consists of 3 people: Tymofii is a very bright and talented 15-year-old currently at school in Thame. He has very good command of the English language. In Ukraine, he was engaged in canoeing at a professional level, was a multiple chess champion in our city, and also a talented singer (he graduated from a music school with a vocal class). His ambition is to eventually study at Oxford University.

Serhii (57 years old) is an engineer by education and profession. He enjoys cooking and studies English at Oxford College as well as taking additional lessons with a private English teacher. He is a very bright and warm person and always willing to help people. 

Nataliia (53 years old) has an agronomic education and loves gardening. She has a law degree and enjoys baking. She studies English with a private teacher.

The fourth member of the family, Georgii (27 years old), who had two university degrees, died six months ago for Ukraine in the battle with the Russian invaders. In April 2023, by decree of the President of Ukraine, Georgii was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine (the highest state award of Ukraine).

Since our priority is the education of Tymofii, we would like to stay close to Thame. Ideally we are looking for accommodation with two bedrooms, through the Homes for Ukraine scheme. We have our own car. For more info please call 07890 966895.

Thank you.

Brill Buses

It’s fashionable to scoff at buses but please don’t! Brill buses are reliable, cheap - and more plentiful than most residents realise. There’s a bus every week day to Thame around 9.30am, returning between 1-2pm. Some of these buses go on to Aylesbury; others to Princes Risborough. There’s also a volunteer-run twice-monthly bus to Bicester.

So, plenty of time for shopping and coffee in town - but why not be adventurous? How about a morning walk down to Thame* and catching the bus back? Or taking the bus to (say) Bishopstone and meeting the return bus in Haddenham? Or going all the way to Aylesbury and following the Thame Valley Walk back to town (you’ll need the late 111 on Mondays and Fridays to get home after that epic).

Check the laminated timetables in the bus shelter on the Square, download and print a PDF guide from the BPC&C website - or pick up a Brill Buses leaflet from the parish council office.

*There’s at least three walking routes to Thame avoiding roads, ranging 12 to 15 km, two of them taking in lovely stretches of the Bernwode Jubilee Way - so get out your OS Explorer 180 map.

Brill Windmill Update

A message from Andy Fisher (pictured), chair of The Brill Society:

The sails have now been completely stripped and the rotten section of sail 3 has been cut out and replaced with new timber. Both sails have now had three coats of base oil and their first coat of half-rich white linseed oil paint. They will require a further two coats of half-rich paint followed a final coat of full rich linseed oil paint; using the correct paint will enable the timber to breath. We’ve started the repair of the internal sail brake and we’re hoping this and the sail painting will be completed by the end of of this month so we can hoist the sails back into place late July or early August. With the sails are up and the brake fixed, we should be able to safely turn and reposition the sails every month, weather permitting.

Meanwhile, the buck (the top bit of the windmill) is open to the public on Sundays so do come along and take a look - or just stop by and say Hi if you see us here working. Your support as always is greatly appreciated.

Finally …

Please tell others about this e-newsletter. Lots of people aren’t on Facebook or comfortable with social media, and we want to reach all parishioners equally. We also value the opportunity to give something extra to subscribers - longer explanations or different perspectives - than is possible on the website.

Tell friends, family or neighbours to email hannahbrillcommunity@gmail.com or fill in the newsletter form on the welcome page of the Brill Parish Council & Community website. Alternatively, if they’d like to read a paper copy, please tell them there are always copies of the newsletter in the pouch on the door of the Old Library in the Memorial Hall, on the table at the back of All Saints Church, and (sometimes) in Brill Stores.

Remember you can read past issues of the newsletter on the Brill Parish Council & Community website.

All good wishes
Brill Parish Council